Imphal, Dec 30: Governor of Manipur Dr. Najma Heptulla, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar Singh greet the people of the state on occasion of the ‘Gaan Ngai Festival’ – the biggest post harvest festival of the Zeliangrong Community of the state.In her greeting, the governor, Dr. Najma Heptulla while conveying his best wishes to the people stated that the festival showcase the rich cultural heritage of Zeliangrong Community.“Let us ring in a new year full of hope and aspiration with ‘Gaan Ngai’ bringing peace and harmony to one and all in the state.In his message, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also extended his heartfelt greeting to the people of the state particularly to the Zeliangrong brethrens.

“Gaan Ngai, the biggest cultural and religious post harvest festival of Zeliangrong Community, marks the end of the year and beginning of the New year. I hope this festival would bring happiness and prosperity and spread message of unity, love, and brotherhood amongst all the communities in the state”, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said in his greetings.Deputy Chief Minister Y. Joykumar in his message said that the post harvest festival is a thanksgiving festival. It reminds us of the kindness and blessings of God which gives us joy and contentment.He further added that this festival is also meant for honouring the ancestors and dedicated to numerous celebrations. Gaan Ngai Festival enchants the identity and cultural beauty of Kabui community, the Dy. CM added.

Finally, the dust have settled after an all-out battle for political supremacy in the country and the largest democracy in the world is slowly getting back to the normal hustle and bustle, but this time, there is a palpable sense of hope and positivity in the air, a fact driven home by the overwhelming response of the voters and the ensuing result. The yearning for change that has been quietly but consistently simmering amongst the public has been fulfilled, and yet, this is not the final victory, for the real test is yet to commence. In all fairness, the outgoing Government initiated quite a lot of development schemes, even though these were portrayed as populist moves rather than schemes based on necessity, what with the names of the schemes glorifying a dynasty rather than indicating the purpose for the same. Also, one needs to get away from the euphoria and take a hard, cold look at the reality as well as the possible course of action the new Government might take and also the condition of the State Government in relation to the political scenario unfolding at the centre. Policies and programs are framed by the leaders who are chosen by the people through election who are made to make an informed judgment after making available all possible information about the candidates and their parties and the ideologies they represent. What is disconcerting at the state level is the thought of having to choose the lesser of the evils, as the leaders of almost all the political parties have been tried and tested by the public before, and were found wanting in various aspects of their performance as leaders.

These political turncoats are now in a rejuvenating mood mainly due to the change of guard at the centre, while the people of the state have all but given up hope of any positive change and progress as the tables have turned and the ruling government in the state have become the opposition of the party ruling the centre, and despite the unconvincing assurances by the state Government of furthering the various development projects being worked on at present, the public cannot help but feel the impending restrictions and revaluations of the works and schemes being implemented by the state Government which will eventually affect the already delayed development which is inching along even at present. But more than the concerns regarding development, the one thing people in Manipur will be looking out for is the repeal of AFSPA as promised by the present Prime Minister at his campaign speech during his Manipur visit. The state unit of the ruling party should not sit back and bask in reflected glory, but should instead be proactive in working towards realizing the long cherished wish of the people of Manipur. The state Government, meanwhile, should make an earnest effort to streamline the operational aspects of the state security forces and also to raise their efficiency and most importantly to improve their people-skill, a concept which is evidently yet to be recognized as a vital component of people working in the public domain, and especially essential for those who regulates law and order. The present political scenario presents a peculiar situation for the people of the state, and is a very good time, if there ever will be one, to ascertain the capabilities and limitations of the ruling opposition party and the opposition whose party is ruling at the centre.

Imphal, Dec 30: NSCN-IM today condole the demise of Deputy Kilonser, Yaruingam. The deputy Kilonser passed away on December 29 at Mumbai, a statement said.It further added that Yaruingam joined the NSCN on April 1986 as private and later promoted to Dy. Kilonser till date and posted in the Ministry of Mines and Minerals.
“At this hour of grief and sorrow, the GPRN extends its deepest and heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved family and prays to the Almighty God for the departed soul to rest in peace”, the statement said.The statement also recalls the dedication of the Kilonser in rendering his service for the people of Naga as well as for the NSCN-IM.

Imphal, Dec 30: Parents of deceased student Ningthoujam Lanchenba Meitei, who died in a tragic accident yesterday expressed dissatisfaction to the attitude of the school authority. A JAC formed against the dead of the student today staged protest at Keishamthong Elangbam Leikai, where the deceased held. Speaking to media persons members of the JAC while accepting that the cause of the death could not be found out until a proper inquiry has been conducted, it expressed strong dissatisfaction to the attitude of the school authority.Venus , convenor of the JAc said, “We don’t know the cause of the dead and we presumed it as an accidental death, however, the way the school authority treated to the incident is not satisfactory”.The incident happened at around 9.30 am yesterday and instead of taking the victim to the hospital some school teacher simply declared him dead as if they are qualified in declaring someone death, Venus said. He further added that instead of informing to the family members about the incident the school authority declared holiday after paying condolence service.
“No authority of the school came to inform or meet the parents and the family of the students”, Venus said and added that something fishy seems to be going on the incident.Health Minister L. Jayentakumar, who is also the representative from Keishamthong Assembly Constituency came and after enquiring over the matter directed the police to arrange an amicable solution between the JAC and the School authority.As per the directives the school authority came along with the principal of the school – Extra Edge School and held a meeting to resolve the matter. However, final agreement could not be brought today but agreed to settle after another sitting scheduled at 8 pm tomorrow. Ningthoujam Lanchenba, a class XI student of Extra Edge School, died yesterday after he flet from his school bus bearing registration No. AS-01 R 9973 at Takhelleikai area of Sega Road. The bus has no conductor.

Imphal, Dec 30: Representatives of the Civil Society Organisation from Manipur who had campaigned at New Delhi for support to the public demand for protection of the Manipur’s Territorial Integrity while solving the vex issue of the NSCN-IM have return back today. The CSO representatives which includes President of UCM Elangbam Johnson, President of AMUCO Ph. Devan, Vice President of CCSK Jeetendra Ningombam, representatives of NIPCO Sunil Karam among others had met various leaders of different political parties including President of AICC Rahul Gandhi, LJP Chief, Siva Sena Chief etc. before meeting the Prime Minister and Home Minister of India. During the meeting with Prime Minister and Home Minister of India, the CSO representatives were assured about the protection of the territorial integrity of the state of Manipur by the Prime Minister as well as the Home Minister. The Prime Minister had also assured that no boundary of any states including Assam Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur will not be disturbed while solving the issue of the NSCN-IM. The signing of the Framework agreement and the talk about settling the issue under the framework agreement had created apprehension to the people of the neighbouring states of Nagaland as the contents of the Framework Agreement have not been revealed.

Imphal, Dec 30: A joint team of Phougakchao Ikhai police and Bishnupur CDO led by deputy SP T Biswajit recovered 650 tablets of SP tablets from a person who identified himself as Md Hasan, 35, son of MD Samad of Kwakta Khuman. According to police reported he was found behaving suspiciously and during body search the drugs were found inside the pocket of his jacket.Later in the afternoon another team of Bishnupur CDO led by head constable L Gojendro and Havildar MD Islamuddin recovered 1000 pieces of WY tablets from the occupant of a maruti swift during frisking at Gothol Road in Kwakta. The occupant of the car was identified as MD Arid Khan, 24, son of Jamir khan of Kwakta Khuman.
The arrested persons have been handed over to Moirang police station.

Imphal, Dec 30: Sweaters were distributed to 1350 VDF personnel of Bishnupur district at a function jointly organised by Bishnupur SP and Bishnupur district VDF Welfare Association at Bishnupur District HQ today. The sweaters were procured from the Bishnupur District VDF Welfare fund.A press release issued by the publicity secretary of the association said the allocation of sweater to them was made possible by the apt guidelines provided by the officers. It went on to thank the officers and expressed gratitude.
The association has further appealed to the concerned authorities to clear the remuneration for the VDF personnel for the months of November and December.

Imphal, Dec 30: A group of people called “Towards Tomorrow” form by a group of like minded people through popular messaging app Whatsapp had conducted social service camp at Kwatha Village in Tengnoupal district. Members of the Whatsapp group also agreed to provide all kind of assistance in making a mini market shed at Kwatha Village.
Kwatha Village is the only village inhabited by meitei community in Tengnoupal district. The village is famouse for its bamboo shoot products. Recently, the village host the first ever “Bamboo Shoot” (Soibum) Festival in co-ordination with the Assam Rifles and various civil society organisations of the state.

PIBNew Delhi, Dec 30: Following are the major highlights of the activities of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) during the year 2017: In a landmark decision, the President of India in November promulgated the Indian Forest (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 to exempt bamboo grown in non-forest areas from the definition “Tree”, thereby dispensing with the requirement of obtaining a permit for felling of bamboo for economic use. The decision following the approval by the Union Cabinet in a meeting chaired by the Prime Minster Shri Narendra Modi has been hailed as historic because the bamboo was legally defined as a “Tree” under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 which proved to be a major impediment for bamboo cultivation by non-farmers on non-forest land.In October, the Government constituted a high-level committee for proper management of the water resources in the North Eastern Region (NER) under the Chairmanship of Vice-Chairman, Niti Aayog. This is a sequel to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visit to Guwahati in August this year to review the flood situation and relief work in the North Eastern States. The Committee would facilitate optimising benefits of appropriate water management in the form of hydro-electric power, agriculture, bio-diversity conservation, reduced flood damage erosion, inland water transport, forestry, fishery and eco-tourism. Ministry of DoNER serves as the coordinating point. The Committee will submit its report, including Plan of Action, by June, 2018. The same month, the Ministry of DoNER sanctioned Rs 200 crore for flood affected reconstruction works in the four North Eastern States of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. This year witnessed unprecedented floods and the rainfall was more than 100% higher than that in the preceding months during the same period of time. Earlier during his visit to Northeast in August to review the flood situation in the four States, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had announced a flood relief package of Rs 2,000 crore.
Ministry of DoNER started an extensive exercise to reorient and rejuvenate the North Eastern Council (NEC) in a new format so that it could perform the effective role of an important resource-cum-research centre for the entire region and could be developed as the hub of innovation for the upliftment of entire Northeast. The MoS Dr Jitendra Singh said that a proposal in this regard has already been circulated and is presently under the active consideration of the Government of India. NEC was set up way back in early 1970s with the intention to give special focus to the development of this region.On 3rd December, MoS Dr Jitendra Singh announced Rs. 90 crore for “Northeast Hill Area Development” beginning from Tamenglong district on a pilot basis, in the first phase, for a period of two years. Inaugurating a two-week “Northeast handicraft-cum-handloom Exhibition-cum-Sale Bonanza” in New Delhi, he said the Ministry of DoNER got engaged in a detailed discussion with the Department of Expenditure and it was realised that for pursuing the additional objective of public welfare, an additional vertical sub-scheme may be created under the existing schemes for the Hill Area Development in the North Eastern States.(To be contd.)